I am a fairly early riser. (Though the past two days would not indicate that . . . I'm sick, get off me.) But typically I like to rise early, go potty, look at myself in the mirror and pull at the skin on my face, especially around my eyes, go to the kitchen, make coffee, scramble two egg whites, then sit down and read my Bible, then write in my prayer journal, while sipping my coffee and eating my eggs. Actually the egg eating happens fairly quickly, but the coffee sipping lasts the duration of the Bible reading and journaling. Then I blog, most days. Once all of this is accomplished, I shower, do my hair and makeup, get dressed, and go to work (sometimes this part involves searching frantically for something . . . shoes, purse, keys . . .)
Anyway, my mornings are very routinely structured. But here is the problem with my routine mornings. If one thing . . . ONE LITTLE THING gets out of order, then the morning is BUST! It is. If I don't have eggs, BUST! If someone moved my Bible and journal (like me taking it to work and leaving it), BUST! If I sleep too late to accomplish my routine, BUST!
I have OCD, so the fact that I have a routine is not all that bothersome. It is actually good. But the bad part is that my mornings (which include my time with God) are so routine that they are just that, routine. Kind of boring. And when a routine becomes rote, then it no longer requires the mind to engage in order to accomplish the tasks.
So . . . GULP. I am trying to mix-it-up a bit. Today I had peanut butter toast. And, I blogged before reading and journaling. I feel a little unsettled (maybe it's the weight of the peanut butter in my stomach, or maybe it's my fever). Maybe the Lord is about to shake me up! Who knows what today holds? It's a blank slate! Woo Hoo!
All that to say, I'm sick of routine and ready for something, well . . . less ordinary.
Transformed
Have you ever been walking along and found money on the ground? Like cash money? A bill? The green stuff? It doesn't even have to be big money. A fiver, a ten a twenty . . . (the largest single bill I have ever found was a twenty, but I did once find a wad of cash that added up to 54 dollars!) The feeling of first seeing that money, and then dashing to it, scooping it up before anyone else can get their mitts on it . . . it exhilirating. And the replaying of that experience in your mind brings you smiles and warm fuzzies all day. Then everytime you tell someone else what happened, it happens all over again. You are happy all over again. But also too (that's my Sarah Palin humor) you walk with expectation, eyes scanning the ground, looking for more money!
You are probably wondering where I am going with this, and truthfully, I might not know myself. But here's what I am thinking on this morning. Yesterday I heard a man say, "What our minds linger over, inflames our passions. What our passions are inflamed by takes our thoughts captive. What takes our thoughts captive drives our actions." If I think about it too long, it's going to ignite my emotions. Once my emotions are ignited, i'm gonna be thinking about it all the time. And once I start thinking about it, I'm bound to do it. (that's my translation)
Like the money. Once you find it and you get that boost of emotions from it, you think about it all the time. The more you think about it, the more your emotions are involved, until you find yourself telling everyone about it and looking for more.
Over what is my mind lingering these days? I don't like to think about it. No pun intended. But it isn't good.
All that to say, I need to be transformed by the renewing of my mind in Christ Jesus. Thoughts?
You are probably wondering where I am going with this, and truthfully, I might not know myself. But here's what I am thinking on this morning. Yesterday I heard a man say, "What our minds linger over, inflames our passions. What our passions are inflamed by takes our thoughts captive. What takes our thoughts captive drives our actions." If I think about it too long, it's going to ignite my emotions. Once my emotions are ignited, i'm gonna be thinking about it all the time. And once I start thinking about it, I'm bound to do it. (that's my translation)
Like the money. Once you find it and you get that boost of emotions from it, you think about it all the time. The more you think about it, the more your emotions are involved, until you find yourself telling everyone about it and looking for more.
Over what is my mind lingering these days? I don't like to think about it. No pun intended. But it isn't good.
All that to say, I need to be transformed by the renewing of my mind in Christ Jesus. Thoughts?
Yes, Still
One year and one week ago, I moved to Texas. My husband stayed behind with his job and with our house. He got a job here in Texas as well. But alas, the economic real estate market crashed (or at least turned over and exposed its underbelly) and now those looking for a house is far outnumbered by those who are selling their houses.
So, we still have a house to sell, and that is definitely our first preference. But we're also considering leasing it for a year or two, until the market settles down.
If you have friends or family who are looking for a great house at a great price, either to own or lease, then check out the link below, and then have 'em give me a holla. cjones3730@yahoo.com
http://homes.point2.com/US/Georgia/Forsyth-County/Cumming/Parkstone/1973664-Real-Estate.aspx
All that to say, HOUSE FOR SALE OR LEASE.
So, we still have a house to sell, and that is definitely our first preference. But we're also considering leasing it for a year or two, until the market settles down.
If you have friends or family who are looking for a great house at a great price, either to own or lease, then check out the link below, and then have 'em give me a holla. cjones3730@yahoo.com
http://homes.point2.com/US/Georgia/Forsyth-County/Cumming/Parkstone/1973664-Real-Estate.aspx
All that to say, HOUSE FOR SALE OR LEASE.
Not So Sure
On a scale from 1 to 10, I would say I have a pretty strong faith, like maybe a 9. I'd say a 10, but that would sound like I have it all together spiritually, which I don't. Heck, I'm actually gonna say it's a 10 because I don't think "faith" is measured by a checklist, or a spiritual accounting system. I think it's your measure of trust in whatever or whomever it is that you believe in (which in my case is God, Jehovah, the great I Am.) I KNOW that I can trust in God.
Here is my dilemma though. I'm not sure about prayer. I pray. I pray all the time. But I find myself lately hyperanalyzing my prayer life. I have prayed super hard for a long time for certain things, none of which have come to pass. And as far as I can see (which I GET is limited in the space time continuum) those things would be good for me, so I just don't understand why they haven't happened.
So, I stopped praying for them, and have just taken the "it'll happen when the Lord is ready" mindset. Which I think for a while I believed, and now I'm just mad and want God to give me some reasons. I trust Him. I trust His reasons. I trust His timing. At least my heart says I do. But seriously, I'm just getting frustrated now.
A lot has happened in a year. A lot. And for the most part, our life is the better for it. But some super hard things have happened as well, and they just continue. So I think now, "Well, I guess my prayers either don't matter, aren't heard, or don't change God's mind." I know I have some friends out there who will tell me that God's mind doesn't change and that isn't the purpose of prayer, but in the Bible it clearly states "but the Lord changed his mind about the harm he would do to his people." Exodus 32:14. He changed his mind because of a conversation he had with Moses. So doesn't that indicate that our prayer, our conversation, might change his mind?
I don't know. I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to ask for. If I ask for a bread will God give me a stone? No. But for this moment, I am looking at the table, and I see a lot of stale bread.
All that to say, Lord help in my unbelief. I guess I'm not a 10 afterall.
Here is my dilemma though. I'm not sure about prayer. I pray. I pray all the time. But I find myself lately hyperanalyzing my prayer life. I have prayed super hard for a long time for certain things, none of which have come to pass. And as far as I can see (which I GET is limited in the space time continuum) those things would be good for me, so I just don't understand why they haven't happened.
So, I stopped praying for them, and have just taken the "it'll happen when the Lord is ready" mindset. Which I think for a while I believed, and now I'm just mad and want God to give me some reasons. I trust Him. I trust His reasons. I trust His timing. At least my heart says I do. But seriously, I'm just getting frustrated now.
A lot has happened in a year. A lot. And for the most part, our life is the better for it. But some super hard things have happened as well, and they just continue. So I think now, "Well, I guess my prayers either don't matter, aren't heard, or don't change God's mind." I know I have some friends out there who will tell me that God's mind doesn't change and that isn't the purpose of prayer, but in the Bible it clearly states "but the Lord changed his mind about the harm he would do to his people." Exodus 32:14. He changed his mind because of a conversation he had with Moses. So doesn't that indicate that our prayer, our conversation, might change his mind?
I don't know. I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to ask for. If I ask for a bread will God give me a stone? No. But for this moment, I am looking at the table, and I see a lot of stale bread.
All that to say, Lord help in my unbelief. I guess I'm not a 10 afterall.
Help Me Please Help Me
I watched the VP debates last night. And I read some blogs this morning. And I read some newspaper articles. Personally, I like Sarah Palin. Initially I thought she was a stupid choice and really thought it proved John McCain was not a very wise decision maker. Then she did so swimmingly well at the convention that I thought maybe he was an unconventional thinker and that served him well. Then I watched the debates last night. I thought Gov. Palin looked nervous and it seriously bugged me that she didn't answer the questions directly. That always bugs me. Seriously. Just answer the question. But, she is very charming, which apparently many believe is her strong point. I don't know. I do have one burning question though. When in our nations history has the VICE PRESIDENTIAL candidate been so important? Usually they are a name on a campaign sign and not much more. Which leads me to ask what is wrong with the candidates running for President.
And now we have this "bailout bill." I am a Children's Pastor. I am not an economist. I have a degree in Education. Not a degree in economics or finance. So I look to those who do have one to help me understand what this bill would mean for me and for our country and our economy.
But here is my problem with both the presidential race and the bailout bill. I cannot find a single unbiased answer to any of my questions. I can't seem to make heads nor tails from what the media writes, because they don't appear to be unbiased. Maybe they never have been and it just wasn't as evident until now. But I would just like some answers. Some simple, unbiased, factual answers, written in a way I can freakin' understand. Is that too much to ask? I'm a pretty smart person (at least my GPA would indicate that I am). I like to think I can comprehend difficult subjects that are outside my scope of expertise.
All that to say, if anyone knows of someplace that I can go to get some facts on the candidates (the ones running for PRESIDENT) and to get some facts on this bailout bill, can you let me know? Help me, please help me.
And now we have this "bailout bill." I am a Children's Pastor. I am not an economist. I have a degree in Education. Not a degree in economics or finance. So I look to those who do have one to help me understand what this bill would mean for me and for our country and our economy.
But here is my problem with both the presidential race and the bailout bill. I cannot find a single unbiased answer to any of my questions. I can't seem to make heads nor tails from what the media writes, because they don't appear to be unbiased. Maybe they never have been and it just wasn't as evident until now. But I would just like some answers. Some simple, unbiased, factual answers, written in a way I can freakin' understand. Is that too much to ask? I'm a pretty smart person (at least my GPA would indicate that I am). I like to think I can comprehend difficult subjects that are outside my scope of expertise.
All that to say, if anyone knows of someplace that I can go to get some facts on the candidates (the ones running for PRESIDENT) and to get some facts on this bailout bill, can you let me know? Help me, please help me.
Velvet Elvis - Remix
I'm re-reading Velvet Elvis. I haven't read The Shack yet, though almost everyone else I know has read it. But I don't always like to be "in" so I am reading Velvet Elvis. Again.
I like the way Rob Bell writes. It makes me think. And he is witty and insightful and sarcastic. All the qualities I think I possess. Except he is humble. :)
But I just love that he says things that sound heretical, but then backs them up with thoughts and questions and what ifs that make you go "ohhhhhhhhh."
Chapter One (or movement one as he calls it. Why? I have no idea. Probably just to be different because that seems to be his nature, or at least the way I perceive his nature.) In movement one he uses the idea of a trampoline to describe God. Seriously. A trampoline. And for those of you who have read the book, feel the freedom to come back tonorrow. Maybe I won't be writing about Velvet Elvis.
The springs of the trampoline, he proposes are the tenets (the doctrine) of our faith. Things like the trinity, the virgin birth, should you drink or not, or should priests get married. These are the springs. And he points out that if one of the springs should fall off or break that our entire faith is not busted. Just that spring. The springs are what hold up the mat. (I guess the mat represents our faith in whole). He uses the trinity as an example. The idea of a "trinity" didn't exist until hundreds of years after Jesus died. It is a "spring" that was added, but faith in Christ existed before that particular spring. Make sense?
But then he likens some people's faith to brick walls. That if one of the bricks falls out, the whole faith is void. It falls. It crumbles. I have seen this happen with people. What they thought they knew about God changed, (He didn't change, but their perception did) and suddenly the brick they hold in their hand, the one that got ripped out, their perception-of-God-brick, doesn't fit back into the wall anymore and the wall wobbles. I like that Rob says, "That's how it is in Brickianity." Clever. Some of my friends in brickworld, pulled out a brick and realized they didn't want a brick-based faith, so they started jumping instead. I've lived in brickworld and practiced Brickianity. I like jumping better.
All that to say, I am jumping on the mat and exploring the strength of my springs right now. Some of them are really being stretched. I'm not sure they will hold. But the mat will.
I like the way Rob Bell writes. It makes me think. And he is witty and insightful and sarcastic. All the qualities I think I possess. Except he is humble. :)
But I just love that he says things that sound heretical, but then backs them up with thoughts and questions and what ifs that make you go "ohhhhhhhhh."
Chapter One (or movement one as he calls it. Why? I have no idea. Probably just to be different because that seems to be his nature, or at least the way I perceive his nature.) In movement one he uses the idea of a trampoline to describe God. Seriously. A trampoline. And for those of you who have read the book, feel the freedom to come back tonorrow. Maybe I won't be writing about Velvet Elvis.
The springs of the trampoline, he proposes are the tenets (the doctrine) of our faith. Things like the trinity, the virgin birth, should you drink or not, or should priests get married. These are the springs. And he points out that if one of the springs should fall off or break that our entire faith is not busted. Just that spring. The springs are what hold up the mat. (I guess the mat represents our faith in whole). He uses the trinity as an example. The idea of a "trinity" didn't exist until hundreds of years after Jesus died. It is a "spring" that was added, but faith in Christ existed before that particular spring. Make sense?
But then he likens some people's faith to brick walls. That if one of the bricks falls out, the whole faith is void. It falls. It crumbles. I have seen this happen with people. What they thought they knew about God changed, (He didn't change, but their perception did) and suddenly the brick they hold in their hand, the one that got ripped out, their perception-of-God-brick, doesn't fit back into the wall anymore and the wall wobbles. I like that Rob says, "That's how it is in Brickianity." Clever. Some of my friends in brickworld, pulled out a brick and realized they didn't want a brick-based faith, so they started jumping instead. I've lived in brickworld and practiced Brickianity. I like jumping better.
All that to say, I am jumping on the mat and exploring the strength of my springs right now. Some of them are really being stretched. I'm not sure they will hold. But the mat will.
I Needed That
Last night I went to a Mexican restaurant with a friend of mine. It was kind of impromptu. I lead a young women's group on Tuesday nights, and normally grab a junky fast food dinner, so I thought since I had the time, I'd go sit down and eat something a little healthier. (Relax, I had chicken fajitas and I hardly ate any chips. Besides, today is my "weigh day" so I sure wasn't gonna scarf down a ton of mexican food the day before) . . . anyway.
So, my friend and I are sitting there. She is having a beer and I am having a margarita. To some of you that might seem weird, a Children's Pastor drinking a margarita, but we aren't legalistic about alcohol at my church, so I didn't feel at all weird about sitting in a mexican restaurant drinking a margarita. However, I do try to be sensitive to who might be in a restaurant if I choose to drink, because, well, it's too long to explain so just trust me that I try to be sensitive.
I see this big group of women come in with gift bags and babies and a few little children and literally they sit them down right next to our table. So, I keep looking over at the table to see if I know any of these people or their children and if I am likely to offend any of them. I apologized to my friend who was with me for being so distracted. She asked me if I was worried because I was having a drink, and I said, "No. Not at all. "
She said, "Good. You shouldn't be. It's not like you are getting drunk and doing a table dance." (nice) :) But as she is saying that she holds her arm up in the air and winds it around in the air (picture a cowboy on a bull, with his arm up in the air . . . that's the picture). Right as she said "table dance" and moved her arm around, the waiter walks by, sees her and says excitedly, "All right!"
I laughed hysterically. She slunk down (is that a word?), covered her face, and tried not to die from embarrassment, meanwhile laughing along with me.
All that to say, laughter is a good diversion. It's good for the soul. That's why we are supposed to eat, drink and be merry.
So, my friend and I are sitting there. She is having a beer and I am having a margarita. To some of you that might seem weird, a Children's Pastor drinking a margarita, but we aren't legalistic about alcohol at my church, so I didn't feel at all weird about sitting in a mexican restaurant drinking a margarita. However, I do try to be sensitive to who might be in a restaurant if I choose to drink, because, well, it's too long to explain so just trust me that I try to be sensitive.
I see this big group of women come in with gift bags and babies and a few little children and literally they sit them down right next to our table. So, I keep looking over at the table to see if I know any of these people or their children and if I am likely to offend any of them. I apologized to my friend who was with me for being so distracted. She asked me if I was worried because I was having a drink, and I said, "No. Not at all. "
She said, "Good. You shouldn't be. It's not like you are getting drunk and doing a table dance." (nice) :) But as she is saying that she holds her arm up in the air and winds it around in the air (picture a cowboy on a bull, with his arm up in the air . . . that's the picture). Right as she said "table dance" and moved her arm around, the waiter walks by, sees her and says excitedly, "All right!"
I laughed hysterically. She slunk down (is that a word?), covered her face, and tried not to die from embarrassment, meanwhile laughing along with me.
All that to say, laughter is a good diversion. It's good for the soul. That's why we are supposed to eat, drink and be merry.
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